Mitch was feeling more than a little bad about what they were about to do. But it had to be done. They needed to get to the bottom of why Barstow Security had been hired to watch Lori. Or, as Tessa had pointed out earlier to Lori that morning, they could be watching both Tessa and Lori. The escalation in incidents had started the moment Tessa arrived, which was too much of a coincidence to ignore. Now that Tessa had pointed it out, they had to factor it in, and that made the stakes even higher.
Both Tessa and Marcus were working to find out why Lori’s late husband’s firm had hired Barstow Security two years ago. That connection might shed light on why Elias Dane was now watching and threatening the occupants of Seabird Cottage. But until they had those answers, they needed to pursue the other avenue. Sally Lane.
Which brought them to Marcus’s ridiculous plan.
Mitch glanced across the small table at Lori, who sat with a glass of iced tea in front of her, looking decidedly uncomfortable. Hecouldn’t blame her. She wasn’t used to this sort of operation. This kind of calculated manipulation wasn’t in her nature.
It wasn’t really in his nature anymore, either, if he was being honest. He’d left that life behind when he retired eight years ago to raise Piper. But old skills never really left you. They just sat dormant, waiting to be called upon when necessary.
And this was necessary.
They were sitting in a small cafe on Main Street, tucked into a corner table near the window. From here, they had a clear view of the coffee shop across the street where Sally got her usual morning latte. Marcus was over there now, waiting for the right moment to put his plan into action.
The plan itself was simple, which was usually the best kind. Marcus would “accidentally” bump into Sally as she left the coffee shop, spilling her latte in the process. He would be appropriately apologetic and insist on buying her a new one. While they waited for her replacement coffee, he would engage her in conversation. Charm her. Mention casually that he was new in town, visiting an old friend for a few weeks.
That friend would be Mitch.
The mention of Mitch’s name would hook her. Sally would engage more then, asking questions, relaxing a bit because Marcus knew Mitch. That common connection would lower her guard.
Marcus would chat with her, work his considerable charm, and then, just as they were about to part ways, he would invite her to the ‘barbecue’ they were having that evening. He was in town specifically to pick out a pie and some wine for it, he would tell her. He’d been tasked with dessert.
Sally would probably take the bait. She always did when anything involved Mitch.
But just to give her a little extra push, that was when Mitch and Lori would make their appearance. They would be “going to find” Marcus after finishing their shopping for the barbecue. Sally would see Mitch and Lori together, laughing, looking close. Lori’s hand would be tucked into Mitch’s arm, suggesting intimacy.
And then, the moment they noticed Sally, Lori would drop her hand, and they would step slightly apart. Looking guilty. Looking like they’d been caught doing something they didn’t want anyone to know about.
Like they were in a relationship, they were trying to keep quiet.
That was the other side of Marcus’s plan. Make Sally jealous. Make her want to be at that barbecue so she can keep an eye on Mitch and Lori. Make her think she still had a chance if only she could drive a wedge between them.
It wasn’t much of a stretch for Mitch to pretend to be drifting into a relationship with Lori. The feelings were already there; they had been growing stronger every day. When Marcus had suggested the plan earlier that morning, Mitch had seen Lori’s eyes darken slightly, and her cheeks pinken at the suggestion. That small reaction had told him everything he needed to know. She felt the same way about him.
But this wasn’t how he wanted to explore those feelings. Not as part of some manipulation scheme. Not using them as bait to catch a potential threat.
On the third chair at their table sat several shopping bags filled with groceries for the barbecue. Steaks, vegetables, buns, andcondiments. All the supplies they would need. The bags served a dual purpose: they made the cover story more believable and contained the actual food they would need later.
Mitch wore a small earpiece, nearly invisible unless you knew to look for it. Lori had one too, tucked discreetly in her ear and hidden by her hair. Through these, they could hear everything Marcus was saying and doing. They’d been listening to him browse the wine shop for the past twenty minutes, making small talk with the owner about local vineyards.
Now, according to the plan, he should be heading to the bakery next door to the coffee shop. Positioning himself for the “accidental” encounter.
Mitch’s mind drifted back to the file on Sally. What he’d read had been more than a little alarming. The details about her late husband’s death, the suspicious circumstances, and the way the case had been suddenly closed, with Sally exonerated despite being found with blood on her hands and her fingerprints all over the knife.
And then there was the school incident.
He glanced over at Lori again. She slowly turned her glass of iced tea on the table, watching the condensation leave a wet ring on the wooden surface. Her expression was troubled.
“It’s going to be okay,” Mitch said quietly.
Lori looked up at him. “Just how do you know Marcus?” she asked. “I mean, I know he’s your contact, and he’s helping with the case. But who is he? Really?”
Mitch considered how much to tell her. But she deserved the truth. She was in this with him now, whether he liked it or not.
“Marcus is a very good friend. But he and I worked together for the government,” Mitch said, keeping his voice low even though the cafe was nearly empty and no one was sitting close enough to overhear. “I wasn’t just an intelligence analyst, Lori. I ran operations. Coordinated field teams. Gathered intelligence through various means.”
“You were a spy,” Lori said, her eyes widening slightly.
“That’s not what we called it, but essentially, yes,” Mitch admitted. “Marcus ran the operations side. He recruited assets, handled interrogations, and coordinated with foreign agencies. We worked together for almost fifteen years before I retired.” He took a sip of the iced tea. “Trust me, he is the best person to do all the interrogations we need done to find out the truth.”
